By Maisie Ward & Caryll Houselander | Artwork by Fra Angelico

The Rosary, in the words of Saint Louis de Montfort, is “a divine summary of the mysteries of Jesus and Mary and a memorial of the life and death of Jesus—thus, after the Holy Mass, the Rosary is the best prayer of thanksgiving.”

The Splendor of the Rosary is a guide to this powerful devotion on the central mysteries of the Incarnation: God’s life, death, and resurrection. Christ became man to teach man how to live. In the Blessed Mother’s school of prayer, a string of beads, a medallion, and a crucifix impart these lessons.

For each of the mysteries, Maisie Ward has given ample fruit for medi­tation: beautiful artwork by Fra Angelico; an excerpt of Scripture and a meditation; and a prayer by Caryll Houselander.

Originally published in 1945, as World War II neared its catastrophic end, The Splendor of the Rosary bears out the truth of Pope Leo XIII’s declaration that the Rosary is an ever-ready remedy for evil and sorrow. Thanks to the combined, faithful genius of Fra Angelico, Ward, and Houselander, The Splendor of the Rosary is also an inspiration toward a renewed devotion and commitment to wield that splendid badge of Christian piety: the Rosary.

O God, whose only-begotten Son, by His life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life; grant, we beseech Thee, that by meditating  upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord. (Oratio of the Rosary)

Maisie Ward (1889–1975) was an English Catholic writer and founder (with her husband, Frank Sheed) of Sheed & Ward, which promoted the intellectual, literary, and artistic treasures of the Catholic Church.

Caryll Houselander (1901–1954) was an English Catholic artist and author. Her books include The Dry
Wood, The Flowering Tree, and The Reed of God.

Fra Angelico (c. 1395–1455) was an Italian Dominican friar and painter of the Florentine Renaissance.

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Hardcover: 216pp., illustrated in full color, with ribbon

ISBN: 978-1685954994